High paying production jobs in Salem, OR with no degree

The best paid production occupations in Salem, OR that require no bachelor's degree — a high school diploma, a certificate, or an associate's degree is the typical entry. This is the narrowest cut on the site, so it is also the shortest list: where a field has only two or three such occupations, there is no page at all rather than a page pretending otherwise.

Cost of living: prices in Salem, OR run 3.6% above the national average (2024), so a Salem, OR salary is worth about 0.96× its face value in national terms. That scales every wage here by the same factor — it changes what the numbers mean, not their order.

Local wage estimates are suppressed more often than state ones — BLS withholds any figure too few local employers report — so an occupation missing here simply has no published local estimate.

Wages: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Cost of living: BEA regional price parities, 2024

Find production jobs in Salem, OR

OccupationMedian, Salem, OR · Employed

1Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators$65,270
High school diploma or equivalent
$53,970 – $80,540100
2First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers$62,220
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,570 – $92,450600
3Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters$62,090
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,440 – $77,49060
4Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$59,290
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,890 – $72,07070
5Machinists$58,930
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,040 – $73,640110
6Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers$57,180
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,110 – $72,650410
7Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$55,100
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,730 – $96,17080
8Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators$53,920
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,290 – $70,55080
9Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$51,540
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,280 – $68,600110
10Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$49,450
High school diploma or equivalent
$45,860 – $62,71060
11Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$49,260
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,610 – $59,44060
12Butchers and Meat Cutters$49,070
No formal educational credential
$36,870 – $58,150140
13Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing$48,660
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,740 – $58,720120
14Printing Press Operators$48,190
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,650 – $61,16070
15Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders$47,290
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,040 – $73,410150
16Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood$47,050
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,270 – $59,03090
17Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders$46,380
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,860 – $67,10070
18Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters$45,820
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,090 – $56,730410
19Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers$45,670
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,980 – $70,440240
20Helpers--Production Workers$45,310
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,090 – $54,080150
21Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers$44,790
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,240 – $59,710170
22Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators$44,010
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,660 – $59,630820
23Production Workers, All Other$42,060
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,090 – $49,28090
24Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders$39,920
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,160 – $49,480110
25Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders$39,590
No formal educational credential
$32,930 – $53,33070
26Sewing Machine Operators$38,200
No formal educational credential
$31,050 – $48,280130
27Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders$37,540
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,000 – $49,990510
28Bakers$37,110
No formal educational credential
$31,680 – $46,090340
29Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers$36,700
No formal educational credential
$32,220 – $46,66090
30Food Batchmakers$36,520
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,350 – $48,090460

Bars run from the 10th to the 90th percentile; the middle half is shaded darker, and the tick is the median.

#	Occupation	MedianSalem, OR	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$65,270	$53,970 – $80,540	100
2	First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$62,220	$46,570 – $92,450	600
3	Structural Metal Fabricators and FittersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$62,090	$46,440 – $77,490	60
4	Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,290	$43,890 – $72,070	70
5	MachinistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,930	$41,040 – $73,640	110
6	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and BrazersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,180	$46,110 – $72,650	410
7	Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$55,100	$37,730 – $96,170	80
8	Computer Numerically Controlled Tool OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$53,920	$40,290 – $70,550	80
9	Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,540	$40,280 – $68,600	110
10	Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,450	$45,860 – $62,710	60
11	Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,260	$38,610 – $59,440	60
12	Butchers and Meat CuttersNo formal educational credential	$49,070	$36,870 – $58,150	140
13	Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except SawingHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,660	$41,740 – $58,720	120
14	Printing Press OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,190	$35,650 – $61,160	70
15	Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,290	$38,040 – $73,410	150
16	Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, WoodHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,050	$37,270 – $59,030	90
17	Chemical Equipment Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,380	$39,860 – $67,100	70
18	Cabinetmakers and Bench CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,820	$38,090 – $56,730	410
19	Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and WeighersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,670	$35,980 – $70,440	240
20	Helpers--Production WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,310	$37,090 – $54,080	150
21	Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical Assemblers, Except Coil Winders, Tapers, and FinishersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,790	$35,240 – $59,710	170
22	Miscellaneous Assemblers and FabricatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,010	$37,660 – $59,630	820
23	Production Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,060	$36,090 – $49,280	90
24	Food Cooking Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,920	$37,160 – $49,480	110
25	Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and TendersNo formal educational credential	$39,590	$32,930 – $53,330	70
26	Sewing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$38,200	$31,050 – $48,280	130
27	Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and TendersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,540	$34,000 – $49,990	510
28	BakersNo formal educational credential	$37,110	$31,680 – $46,090	340
29	Laundry and Dry-Cleaning WorkersNo formal educational credential	$36,700	$32,220 – $46,660	90
30	Food BatchmakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$36,520	$35,350 – $48,090	460

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Salem, OR. The rarer ones are real jobs — but a 1,190-person occupation at the top of a list answers a different question than the one most readers are asking.

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The same fields, narrowed to what you can enter without one. Fields missing here have too few such occupations in Salem, OR to rank honestly.

High paying production jobs in Salem, OR with no degree

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